URGENT--Defeat CA Rabies Bill AB 2689 - Page 2

Hello guttersnipe here, "I had for over 300 lbs of dog food " that is 6 bags not nearly enough for 60+ dogs Rob

 gsdtravels,
thanks for the thread.  GARD, hope all is well, sorry for you and Ca.  Out of control and they do not seem to get it.  Amazing how some prioritize spending and time.  Ca has the same mentality it has always had and will refuse to see why they are broke regardless of what happens.  Sad, so much potential flushed down the toilet.

Guttersnipe.. That is not the point. I believe the actual amount was 340 lbs, bought only 36 hours before.

That's THIRTY SIX HOURS, Guttersnipe! That's basically one feeding and half way to the next! So, are you saying that even 57 dogs ate 340 lbs of dry food in a day, or even a day and a half? And, I was not OUT of food, when I bought this new load of food. I never let myself run out! So, there was MORE than 340 lbs on hand..

The point is this.. "How could they say that there was NO food?" You could say that maybe they didn't see it, but there was SO MUCH food there, that I had too much to fit in all my metal cans. So, I had a 60 lb bag laying on top of a crate.. BIG yellow bag! I saw them go in there with their video camera, taking their "evidence" film. I also had a can of Pedigree dog food, sitting on top of the kitchen counter. They went into and through the house, as well, all the way into the front yard, where "Figgy" was.. the one they took and put to sleep.

Now, here is the interesting part.. When we wanted to get a copy of their "evidence" video, they hemmed and hawed and dragged their feet. Finally, after a lot of stalling, we got it.. Guess what? The video, which was supposed to be continuous and unaltered, had two breaks in it, with blue screen in between. These were the exact places where they went into the food preparation shed and when they went into the house. They edited those out. Why? I know why.. Because it would have shown the food (which any idiot could have seen), and because it would have proven that they were lying in preliminary hearing / pretrial. Not only was there a HUGE amount of food, but the carpet was in such good condition that I didn't even have to replace or clean it when the house was rented a month or so later. They said there were holes in the carpet, feces and hair packed an inch thick, and so on.

What do you think of a liar, Snipe? Do you think they deserve the public trust, and nice paychecks with retirement and paid health care and vacations? I don't know about most cops, but where I worked, most of us did hard work and we had no respect for liars and cheats. We didn't cover for them, because we got tired of doing their work for them.

I wanted these cops to lose their jobs, for a long time. But, you know how it works.. They sucked others in with them, and the thing just grew. After awhile, I began to see that some of them were pretty ashamed of themselves. They were looking down at their shoes, when they found out the truth. Maybe that's why the one sued for sex discrimination.. to cash out. Maybe her credibility was shot..

By the way, while you believe that you are winning and putting me down, a lot of people out there are getting to see and hear another side of it. Very interesting, and now I am getting supportive PMs. It's kind of like this.. Do you remember the story about the King's New Clothes? It's just a kid's story, but with a moral. The king thinks that he is decked out in finery, and has the admiration of all his people as he parades down the street, when in fact he is only wearing underwear. People are afraid or embarrassed to say anything, but everyone thinks he's an idiot. Well, a lot of people who SHOULD be wearing uniforms have been seen in their underwear a bit too often.. and you'd be surprised how many people know where all their warts are!

Here's something to think about..

Prosecutors have an extremely high success rate, almost 100%. AND, they deal in high volume of cases. But this kind of a success rate is only possible in highly controlled environments, where the product is always the same... Like a manufactured item, produced on an assembly line with robotics and computers and other controls. Question.. How are prosecutors doing this, when they are dealing in so many cases, with so many variables and unknowns? How, indeed? Could it be that they are cheating, maybe sometimes? Maybe?

And, what does that say about us, as a nation, and as a people, when this is going on? Ever hear of the "innocence project"? I'm sure you've heard of that.. All the DNA evidence is very revealing! Looks like we've been putting people away for 15, 25 years, or maybe life.. sometimes executing them.. based on false charges and sometimes prosecutorial misconduct. But, I don't suppose that bothers you any, does it? You're a man of sound convictions and good conscience.. "Hang 'em high", right?

One more thing worth saying here..

Looking at this article, which came from the South Bay Daily Breeze (in my opinion a dirty rag, and was then owned / run by a woman who supported animal control), I had spoken to the reporter and that's pretty much what I said..

I really didn't know then if I wanted the dogs back.. I was beat to a frazzle by the whole thing. I was probably getting about four hours of sleep on an average night and exhausted from all the work. I had tried to hire help, but I'm sorry.. the people who applied weren't fit for the job and one didn't show up for drug testing.

However.. When I went to visit the dogs and saw the condition they were in, I was in a state of shock! I cannot tell you how horrible it was! I could, but I'd rather not... It would get my head into a real bad place.

Then, I realized that I had to do something. I pleaded with my attorneys, and they were indifferent. One told me that when it was all over, I could just go and get more dogs.. <shaking head, sadly, in disbelief>. Another one just didn't want to get into it, until / unless perhaps I paid him more money. For Chrissakes, I paid each one of them a retainer of $25,000!!!! Unbelievable! And, let me tell you that they didn't do much for it, in my opinion. They showed up to court, but probably only because they'd get in trouble with the judge if they didn't. Much of the time they were watching skirts in the court room, and the prosecutors were showing a lot of leg! I'm sure that was no accident!

I finally, finally, finally, got most of the dogs out of there. If I had any doubts about what I was seeing.. dogs in trouble.. I was convinced when one of the county veterinarians told me, urgently (but under his breath), 
                                                                               "GET THESE DOGS OUT OF HERE!!! "
That veterinarian was asked when under oath, if he had said this, and his answer was, "Yes".. That's on record!

I was told by my attorneys NOT to talk to anyone in official capacity, but I did. I had to do it, despite the risks. The dogs needed me to do something to help. And, I did.. And, like I said, it almost never happens, but I did manage to get most of them out of there. We all returned to the kennel and lived there for a year, while things played out. I had to rent the house to help pay the additional expenses. I slept on a futon in the bare-walled garage, which was stuffed with things moved out of the house.. barely room to turn around. But, I was happy! I cannot explain it, but I felt such peace and contentment, and I felt safe.. really safe. I think maybe an angel was there, watching over us all, because I never worried. I didn't even have a television, or a computer, there. I had the futon, a refrigerator, and a microwave. Dinner was typically a can of pinto beans, seasoned with oregano and parmesan cheese, and it was delicious! The dogs were happy, and so was I. That's how it was, for one blessed year..

This is a bunch of crap. No dog deserves this for any reason period. You should be ashamed of yourself, instead you are here trying to defend the undefeneseable. Yes you are a great writer and some people here are so gulible so I am sure you are getting supporters so what let them come on an open forum and defend you, which I see none are but they are sending you pm's how convient. Anyone supporting this person also needs to have a mental health evaluation. You need help please make an appointment to talk with someone, in all your 4 novels of writing I have not seen one ounce of genuine remorse only excuse after miserable excuse how very sad.

 Deleted. No point.

Well, you guys don't get it. I'm not trying to defend myself, per se.. that is not the point. I'm saying, that what happened to the dogs as a result of the raid was much, much worse, and they suffered and died because of it. To me, any law that results in that level of harm is fundamentally wrong and should be re-examined.

Since I can see you are an un-sympathetic crowd, let's ignore my situation alone.. ruined retirement from the severe economic loss. Let's talk about the dogs..

 The dogs suffered horribly from this event. You may believe that dogs are all loved and coddled when they are impounded. Some clever PR people say, "Let's call it rescue / shelter and drop the name of 'pound. Folks, a dog 'pound is an IMPOUND! That's where property is seized and stored until it is released and the lien is paid. It works exactly like an automobile impound, only in this case, the property is very fragile and sensitive.. living things, sometimes puppies. The dog 'pound is NOT a nice place. Most dog pounds are very damp and over-crowded, with cold, hard floors, and warm, moist air.. It's a perfect breeding place for bacteria and viruses, perpetually fed by a fresh stream of new dogs of unknown (and generally poor) immunologic profile. The stress is extreme and it feeds the occurrance of disease. Many, many studies have linked stress to immunosuppression. Dogs get really, really sick in an impound, if they stay there for any amount of time. Most don't. Most are euthanized by their fourth day, right before the end of the incubation period, when viral infections become symptomatic and the real disease process kicks in.

  There is also the problem of overcrowding and mismatching. I had one dog who was known to be dog aggressive and warned them not to keep him with other males, but they ignored me and kept him with other males. About two months into their stay, this dog put a long, deep laceration into the back of another male, and it was left open and untreated. Within a week it was infested with maggots. That was THEIR doing, NOT mine. And, the wound could have been easily sutured when it first happened, but their own rules at the time stipulated that only $50 could be spent on vet work, so by the time it came to this, the decision was made to euthanize (kill) the dog. THAT was one of those 27 felonies which was waived under the plea agreement. If you can't see something wrong with this, then I am frankly aghast. 

  The little puppies, taken when they were three days old, did surprisingly make it (at least three of them) up to about fheir fifth week. The mother was generously given her own run, which was right in alongside all the others, also damp continuously, and full of coccidia, I am sure. She was expected to nurse and care for them in a small blue plaster tray.. quite small, with a single orange hand towel as bedding. I would estimate that the whole tray was about 24" by 36", By the time I came around to visit and see the dogs, this poor mom was running frantically in circles, carrying a dead puppy in her mouth. Another puppy was standing there, watching her, and that pup was very emaciated and underdeveloped. There was no suitable food provided for them. In court, the statement was made that they were being fed cafeteria style. The only food which was available to them was poor quality adult food, nuggets made mostly of course grain (corn), about the size of the end of your thumb. The feeding bin was about eighteen to twenty four inches off the ground, so the only way that any of them could have actually gotten any would  have been if it fell onto the wet, nasty floor. This did happen, but I doubt that any of them could have eaten any. They could barely have managed to get a piece into their mouth, much less chew it. So, each day that I saw, there was one less puppy, until there were none. Alw

"Since I can see you are an un-sympathetic crowd, let's ignore my situation alone.. ruined retirement from the severe economic loss. Let's talk about the dogs.. "

You cannot make enough money to retire off the backs of your dogs.  You have dogs because you love them, not so they can provide your economic security.  You provide for their security, not vice versa.

<continued> Always, there was the frantic mother, carrying a dead or dying puppy in her mouth, and pacing in circles. This is one of the most sad and pathetic scenes I have ever seen.. But, I guess none of these things would bother you guys, because you are champions of good animal care, and we all know that we can get THAT at the dog 'pound!!!

  I really don't care WHAT you guys think of me. I am disappointed, however, because I can see how things are just going down so badly in this state and in this country. I agree that there are some righteous rescues and interventions, but this is deplorable! I was never given any kind of a "notice to improve" or time to comply, no infraction. They used to give those, but they're not very profitable, so this is what they do, now.

  I went so far as to attend an HSUS expo to do research and to try to figure out what was going on.. I could not understand why and how they could grab all these animals, only to abuse and neglect them so. Clearly, it was not about helping the animals. One of the lectures I attended was given by speaker, Linda Sinclair, DVM. Huge attendance, by the way... They had to open up TWO conference rooms to seat everyone. The subject was "Kennel Hygiene". The first thing the speaker did was to ask for a show of hands, for people who had worked in shelters and impounds and had been unable to control the disease. So, everyone basically raised their hands. It was a sea of arms in the air. I thought they were going to do "the wave".. And a lot of things were discussed, like fomites and their role in the spread of disease. Fomites are basically any object, including hands and feet, which can carry a pathogen from one animal to another. Everything is a fomite in these places and there is no disinfecting going on, that I saw. Now, think of this.. We know how clean a typical hospital environment is.. a human hospital. They don't even have the problems with damp and temperature extremes, birds entering and exiting the buildings and so on.. But human hospitals have now got a very big problem with MRSA.. Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. I personally know of two out of four family elders who have been kept in hospitals for extended periods due to MRSA infections that they picked up while in the hospital for other reasons! So, how good is the hygiene ever going to be in a public dog 'pound?

  And, if these condtions cannot be managed for the protection of animals, and animals are dying like flies in these places, then why are we impounding more animals? The answer is clear to me.. more revenue!

  There is SO much more about this situation that you don't know.. When someone reads a newspaper article, and thinks that they know all the facts, it just blows my mind. We are a nation of idiots! Don't you know that the media is generally slap-dash and inaccurate? Don't you realize that the kind of coverage a story gets can be influenced by lobbying processes?